Necrotica Calculating Infinity is the perfect example of an album that takes the rulebook of its genre(s) and throws it out completely. It’s the flawless melding of brutality and sophistication, of anger and despair, of hardcore euphoria and jazz-driven mathematics. And the members of The Dillinger Escape Plan were certainly aware of what they were doing too. Guitarist and figurehead Ben Weinman was once quoted as saying on The Independent:

"Calculating Infinity was us effectively ripping up the music theory book; if someone said 'don't harmonise with a second, it just sounds out of tune', then every single lead we did, we'd harmonise with a second. It sounded disgusting, but we did it".

This music is controlled rage, but just because it’s controlled doesn’t mean it’s sterile or edgeless. The complex, labyrinthine arrangements are given plenty of vocal ammunition through Dimitri Minakakis’ tortured, chilling screams. And I’ll certainly give the band credit: they don’t mess around when it comes to storming the gate early. “Sugar Coated Sour” is both a phenomenal thesis statement of the album’s sound and practically a war cry for any listener interested in joining the band for this unique event. The dissonant guitar harmonies, impossibly precise drumkit grinding, and furious wailing are incredible markers of what you’ll be hearing throughout this brief experience. About 90% of Calculating Infinity is a mixture of blinding speeds, jaw-dropping technical prowess, and the rare moment of unsettling reflection. Those calmer sections are a great way for the band to show their vast range of influences as well, such as the incredible polyrhythmic prog-oriented bridge of “43% Burnt” or the avant-jazz chord progressions of the slow melodic (?) section of “The Running Board.” Even more curious are the few interludes that mark the record, leaning more on the avant-garde side of its identity. The title track and “*#..” are enjoyable Meshuggah-esque ditties that rely on strange rhythms and little diminished guitar “pops,” while “Weekend Sex Change” combines sampling, depressive guitar melodies, and incredible drum soloing into one fascinating fusion.

The most impressive thing about Calculating Infinity is that both sides of its bipolar personality are so natural and well-represented. Many of us are aware of the various rumors surrounding the album’s recording, most famously the decision to roll dice to determine each time signature. But it’s strange to think that for something so, ahem, “calculated,” that every bit of hardcore aggression and raw emotion can still come out in full force. Just listen to that utterly insane intro to “Jim Fear.” It doesn’t give us a moment’s notice to prepare for the full-on assault of scorching fretwork and deranged screams, but everything manages to be very planned and pre-staged all the same. That whole song really comes together when you reach the next section and hear the complex runs across the fretboard in unison with the rabid drums, and that concept of “controlled anarchy” comes into play. Wanna know why it all works? Because the insane technicality and the angular “prog-meets-punk” riffing ensure that each emotional catharsis is earned. The Dillinger Escape Plan somehow have the ability to turn technical prowess into atmosphere, weaving in and out of disturbing musical passages; Dimitri is simply icing on the cake with the chaos he spews over it all. But each emotional release works because the band members are incredibly skilled at building us up to those moments. Much like Converge’s Jane Doe, there’s a respect and care that’s given to each weird transition and tempo shift despite the hell being unleashed on top of the songwriting.

At the end of the day, Calculating Infinity is simply a mesmerizing paradox; it combines mathcore, hardcore punk, free jazz, avant-garde metal, and progressive metal, and somehow manages to treat them all as equals. If you want sophisticated songwriting and complex instrumentals, this album is essential. And if you just want to fuck everyone up in the moshpit, then it’s still essential.

aglasshouse There's a certain point where music can build up too much of a head of steam and simply become a malformed mess of half baked ideas and botched compositions. This is the fate of Dillinger Escape Plan's second album, Miss Machine, released in 2004. Myself never a fan of the band, I will admit their early albums set some standards. Unfortunately such influence does not excuse the honestly poor quality of Miss Machine. The cover alone explains everything wrong with this album; a jumble of angst-ridden songs that try so very hard to be aggressive that it falls backwards into the silly category. Not to mention when placed alongside the band's other (mediocre) discography, this honestly disquieting work sticks out like blood on snow. Any talent the band could show unfortunately does not translate well here. Uncomfortable and enjoyable, this album is one for only those who seek the roughest listening experience possible.

arcane-beautiful Dillinger are a band that I've had a mixed relationship with in the past. I've always been interested in these guys from day one, but no matter what they did, there was always something about them that turned me off them, especially album wise. Their first few releases, a bit too crazy for my liking, slowly became slightly slowed down on their 2nd full length “Miss Machine”. Now this is when things started to peek up for me interest wise. The guys decided to take a better approach at songwriting, with a lot of progressive influences throughout. The follow up, Ire Works was my favourite album of theirs a while, mainly because it was almost like 2 albums, with the crazy side and the more melodic side being almost separate and very noticeable Sadly, “Option Paralysis” really wasn't my cup of tea. The ideas where strong and the sound was good, but it just seems that a lack of songwriting was the big problem. Other people love the album it seems, but it it really wasn't my thing.

Really the big problem I've always had with these guys is that they at times are like 2 bands...a mathcore band and a progressive metal band, who switch whenever they feel like it. The 2 could never really gel well, or at least they have never been able to mix them with success. But on this album...they've accomplished this.

Yea, I heard a lot of good things about this album, so when I finally got down to listening to it, I was very happy that everything that I wanted to hear on a Dillinger album is here.

The sound of the band is still similar, but this album really shows of how the songwriting has progressed and changed. The songs, instead of being crazy collections of discords, drum patterns and odd time signatures are now cohesive collections, with amazing build ups and changes of tone throughout.

One of the oddest quotes I heard about this album was from my brother, who basically said “it's their most extreme but also their most accessible”, and in many ways I agree with him. The album is definitely accessible with the popiness of some songs and the accessibility of the whole album, but...this is a very dark album. Instrumentally, it is to the point of almost injury inducing, with the bass and drums acting like a hammer to brain, while the guitar drills your gums. Greg's vocals are like every bad and angry comment spat at you like a snake shooting it's venom.

The album opener “Prancer” and lead single really is a highlight for this band. I think anyone who has heard this song has wanted to buy the album straight after listening to it.

“When I Lost My Bet” flows perfectly from Prancer, in fact I thought it was the 2nd part to Prancer. A song based almost on a swing beat with stabs of staccato flourishes. As the song progresses it completely explodes.

The albums title track is a “Dillinger” ballad. A slower and more melodic song, but definitely one of the highlights. A rather catchy and surprisingly powerful song.

Another major part of the album is the track “Paranoia Shields.” A very dramatic and changing song with a very powerful performance from Greg.

One of the albums highlights has to be “Crossburner.” The album's longest song, this one is packed full of drama and some heart wrenching vocals from Greg.

In conclusion, this is definitely the band's best album and their shining moment. These guys are like wine...it takes a while for them to really expose their flavours, so leaving them out for a few years will make them taste better. These guys have received a lot of attention in the past, and because of this release I think they should receive more. These guys have reclaimed their status as one of the worlds most interesting groups, most adventurous, both live and in the studio.

8.8/10

Phonebook Eater 8/10

Fluent Like A Falling Feather.

Metalcore and Mathcore are the two genres that most frequently split the metal community right in two: some love it its complexity and mixture with Hardcore Punk, others loathe it. But The Dillinger Escape Plan are one of the few bands that always had a great amount of fans and relatively small amount of haters. “One of Us Is The Killer” is the band’s fifth studio album, and is what some call a game-changer: by far, it is the most mature album of theirs yet, their first LP that has greatness all over it, without ever getting lost into pretentiousness or instrumental wankery.

For starters, the production on “One Of Us Is The Killer” is some of the most lush and polished heard this year, that however doesn’t let the distortion and the heaviness lose the fierce momentum that is characteristic of Dillinger Escape Plan. But the big bonus that makes this album really stand out is a well-developed sense of melody and an overall more mature level of songwriting. Then, there’s the aspect for which the band risked the most, as for every album, to sound pretentious or over-the-top: the Mathcore side of the equation, the odd-time signatures and improbable riffs that usually sound way too over-studied. While a lot of thought was undoubtedly put on these riffs as well, here these flashy moments are fun to listen to and obviously showcase a great deal of talent on behalf of the musicians, even because they miraculously sound spontaneous and well-placed, with the exception of a few spots here and there.

There is not one dull moment throughout the short period of time in which this album prolongs into, not only thanks to the catchiness and all those positive points I mentioned earlier, but because of a quality most albums these days lack: a flawless, perfect flow, that seems to understand when enough is enough, when it’s time to turn things down, or slow the tempo down to a more straight-forward groove. Right off the bat you get two heavy, fast and Mathcore-to-the-core tracks that immediately grab the listeners attention: but the title track right after turns it down a notch, and for the first time in the album some melody is introduced. It’s not necessarily a loud-quiet formula all of the time, because there’s also the fast and Mathy tracks rigorously alternated with ones that manifest quite a bit of melody: “Hero Of The Soviet Union” followed by “Nothing’s Funny”, followed by the multi-faceted “Understanding Decay” is an example of the clever pacing OFUITK pulls off. As far as further individual highlights go, “Paranoia Shields” is almost a radio-friendly metal track, while “Crossburner” slows things down in tempo but not in volume.

Probably one of the few Mathcore albums in existence that manages to sound fierce and technical and at the same time that gives the impression that it was an effortless achievement for the musicians. With an excellent boost in songwriting and sense of melody, Dillinger Escape Plan now have the respect they deserve.

NorseGangsta With Option Paralysis The Dillinger Escape Plan have crafted possibly the most diverse and interesting album of their career. Opener "Farewell, Mona Lisa" is the most obvious example of this, as it combines their trademark dissonance, technical guitar playing, and intense drum playing with Greg Puciato's diverse vocals. His clean vocals are more prevalent on this record than their previous albums, being that several songs contain his catchy yet diverse clean vocal range. All band members give great performances on this album, most notably Ben Weinman and new drummer Billy Rymer. The Dillinger Escape Plan have cemented themselves as the top band in the metalcore/avant-garde metal scene.